Senior product designer, working in complex B2B Enterprise SaaS.
A toolkit for installers: on-site, under pressure
Victron Energy makes hardware and software for professional energy systems: marine, off-grid, industrial. Products are built for demanding conditions and known for reliability. When something goes wrong during setup, this app is what an installer reaches for. The Toolkit app supports installation and configuration on-site, often under time pressure.
Two audiences, one interface, no existing design system and a tight deadline.
I worked in close partnership with the team at Cliff Design to design the app and build its design system: from user flows through to final UI and developer handoff.
Fast process and user involvement from day one. From flowcharts to wireframes to final design: without losing quality.
Troubleshooting time reduced. The new LED definition filter replaced scanning through long lists, the most time-consuming part of the old approach.
Where the previous app suffered frequent crashes, the beta version is highly stable. This directly supported Victron's reputation for reliability.
Professional installers work on-site, in tight or dirty conditions, often under deadline. Amateurs need the same information but without the cognitive load. Designing for both meant balancing depth with clarity in a single interface.
On-site use in difficult conditions led to large tap targets, high-contrast typography and dark mode as default. The different user types led to layered information: simple on top, technical detail one tap deeper.
Before any visual design, complete user flows were mapped to ensure no dead ends and no missing steps. These flows became the shared blueprint for structure, logic and developer handoff.
A dual-layer system was introduced to serve both user types. Essential information on the surface. Detailed technical data sits one tap deeper. Neither group is overwhelmed or under-served.
The interface was built using reusable components. This ensured consistency across the app, supported a smooth developer handoff and made the product easier to extend over time.
Clarity above everything else. Large tap targets, clear output values, and legible typography. All designed to work in low light, dirty gloves and time pressure. Prototypes were stress-tested in real-world conditions to validate readability.
User flow analysis identified opportunities to reduce navigational steps. Shortcuts were added to reduce the number of taps to reach key actions and categories.
Recent items and a QR code scanner reduced the steps to reach key actions by up to 10. This saved precious time during the process for installers.
